Abdominal Strengthening Apparatus

ABSTRACT

An abdominal strengthening apparatus is an apparatus to allow a user to perform core abdominal muscle exercises from a seated position. The abdominal strengthening apparatus includes a stationary base, a tilting arm, a supporting member, a handlebar, and a foot-supporting bar. The tilting arm is pivotably mounted to the stationary base. The supporting member is pivotably mounted to the tilting arm. The foot-supporting bar supports the user&#39;s feet and is positioned opposite to the supporting member. The handlebar is adjacently connected to the supporting member opposite to the tilting arm. In implementation, the user grasps the handlebar and exerts the user&#39;s body weight onto the handlebar. The force on the handlebar forces the supporting member downward to lever the foot-supporting bar. Therefore, the user engages the user&#39;s core muscles through use of the user&#39;s body weight to strengthen the user&#39;s core muscles.

The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patentapplication serial number 62/231,629 filed on Jul. 13, 2015.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an abdominal strengtheningapparatus.

More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus whichallows the user to perform a plurality of abdominal exercises tostrengthen the upper and lower abdominal as well as the oblique musclesof the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Exercise is an important aspect of maintaining a person's generalhealth. Exercise promotes confidence and provides energy to a person, aswell as, tones and strengthen muscles. While a majority of exercises maybe performed without the aid of equipment, exercise equipment assists inprompting proper form for performing the exercises. Proper form allowsthe person to gain the most from the exercises, as performing theexercise with proper form engages all of the targeted muscles for theexercise. Thus, the person is able to maximize the potential of theirexercise.

Some may argue that core strength, abdominal and oblique muscles, is oneof the most important muscle groups to strengthen. Having good corestrength helps to prevent injuries, protects inner organs and thecentral nervous system, assuages back pains, promotes good posture, andgives a sense of confidence to a person.

The present invention is an abdominal strengthening apparatus tostrengthen the core of the user. The present invention allows a user toperform sitting crunches. The present invention provides resistance tothe sitting abdominal crunching motion in order to maximize thestrengthening potential for exercising the user's core muscles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view for the simplest embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention including aresistance mechanism, wherein a rotation mechanism is integrated intothe adjustable tube.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the present invention, wherein the secondtubular portion is positioned between the first tubular portion and thetilting arm for storage or transportation.

FIG. 4 is top view of the configuration of the present invention asshown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for the connection between the tiltingarm and the stationary base along the line 5-5 from FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view for the connection between themounting rod and the adjustable tube from FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the present invention wherein the first tubularportion is tethered to the second tubular portion by a tension cord.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the present invention, wherein the magneticsensor is connected to the stationary base, and wherein the permanentmagnet is connected to the tilting arm.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for the connection between the tiltingarm and the stationary base along the line 9-9 from FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the present invention, wherein theoutput display is connected to the handlebar.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view for the electronic connections for themagnetic sensor to transmit a signal to the computing device andsubsequently to the output display as the permanent magnet imposes amagnetic field onto the magnetic sensor.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describingselected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present invention.

The present invention is an abdominal strengthening apparatus. Thepresent invention allows a user to properly perform crunches from aseated position and enhances the strengthening effect of core abdominalmuscles through resistance. The core abdominal muscles targeted throughthe use of the present invention are the upper abdominal muscles, lowerabdominal muscles, and oblique muscles.

In accordance to FIG. 1, the present invention comprises a stationarybase 1, a tilting arm 2, a supporting member 3, a handlebar 4, and afoot-supporting bar 5. The stationary base 1 supports the presentinvention on a level ground or floor surface. The tilting arm 2 ispivotably connected to the stationary base 1. The pivotable connectionis a fulcrum in order to allow the tilting arm 2 to move as a leverabove the stationary base 1 during implementation of the presentinvention. The supporting member 3 allows the user to use their arms andshoulders to transfer force from the handlebar 4 to the tilting arm 2.The tilting arm 2 lifts the user's legs, therefore forcing the user'supper abdominal muscles and lower abdominal muscles to be engaged. Thesupporting member 3 comprises a mounting rod 20 and an adjustable tube21. The mounting rod 20 connects the handlebar 4 to the tilting arm 2through the adjustable tube 21. The mounting rod 20 is pivotablyconnected to the tilting arm 2 such that the orientation of the mountingrod 20 is maintained as the tilting arm 2 is depressed local to themounting rod 20.

The adjustable tube 21 allows the user to change the length of thesupporting member 3 to accommodate the height of the user. Theadjustable tube 21 is telescopically engaged with the mounting rod 20such that the user is able to adjust the length of the supporting member3 between discrete heights. The adjustable tube 21 is positionedopposite to the tilting arm 2, along the mounting rod 20, such that thehandlebar 4 is able to be conveniently accessed by the user. Thehandlebar 4 is adjacently connected to the adjustable tube 21 in orderto allow the user to grasp the present invention and make use of theuser's own body weight to provide a downward force on the supportingmember 3. The handlebar 4 is positioned opposite to the tilting arm 2along the adjustable tube 21 in order to transfer the downward forcealong the supporting member 3. The foot-supporting bar 5 supports theuser's feet during implementation of the present invention. Thefoot-supporting bar 5 is perpendicularly and adjacently connected to thetilting arm 2. The mounting rod 20 and the foot-supporting bar 5 arepositioned opposite to each other along the tilting arm 2. As thedownward force from the user is placed on the supporting member 3, thetilting arm 2 rotates about the pivotable connection with the stationarybase 1 in order to simultaneously raise the foot-supporting bar 5. Thus,through the downward force from the user's weight, the user's knees areforced towards the user's chest while the user's chest is motionedtowards the user's knees, engaging the user in a abdominal crunchingmotion to engage the user's core muscles.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the present inventioncomprises a rotation mechanism 6, as shown in FIG. 2. The rotationmechanism 6 allows the handlebar 4 to be rotated about the mounting rod20, such that the user is able to engage the oblique muscles effectivelyby rotating the user's torso during the abdominal crunching motion. Therotation mechanism 6 is mechanically integrated along the adjustabletube 21. The rotation mechanism 6 is positioned between the mounting rod20 and the handlebar 4. A rotation axis 22 of the rotation mechanism 6is collinear to the mounting rod 20. As the user grasps the handlebar 4and presents the downward force onto the supporting member 3, the useris able to rotate the user's torso from side to side in order to engagethe oblique muscles during the abdominal crunching motion, strengtheningthe oblique muscles.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the present inventioncomprises a rotation mechanism 6, as shown in FIG. 9. The rotationmechanism 6 allows the supporting member 3 to be rotated, such that theuser is able to engage the oblique muscles effectively by rotating theuser's torso during the abdominal crunching motion.

The mounting rod 20 is pivotably connected to the tilting arm 2 throughthe rotation mechanism 6. The rotation mechanism 6 is positionedopposite to the adjustable tube along the mounting rod. A rotation axis22 of the rotation mechanism 6 is collinear to the mounting rod 20. Asthe user grasps the handlebar 4 and presents the downward force onto thesupporting member 3, the user is able to rotate the user's torso fromside to side in order to engage the oblique muscles during the abdominalcrunching motion, strengthening the oblique muscles as the supportingmember 3 rotates along with the user's motion.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the adjustable tube 21comprises a first tubular portion 27 and a second tubular portion 28, asshown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8. The first tubular portion27 telescopically engages the mounting rod 20. The second tubularportion 28 is connected to the handlebar 4. In one embodiment of theadjustable tube 21, the first tubular portion 27 is hingedly andadjacently connected to the second tubular portion 28 such that thesecond tubular portion 28 is able to be positioned between the mountingrod 20 and the stationary base 1. The first tubular portion 27 and thesecond tubular portion 28 allow the adjustable tube 21 to be foldablefor storage or transportation by allowing the handlebar 4 to bepositioned between the stationary base 1 and the mounting rod 20.

In another embodiment of the adjustable tube 21, the present inventioncomprises a tension cord 12, as detailed in FIG. 7. The tension cord 12tethers the first tubular portion 27 to the second tubular portion 28 toprevent the second tubular portion 28 from being disconnected from firsttubular portion 27 as the second tubular portion 28 is pulled away fromthe first tubular portion 27. The tension cord 12 comprises a first cordend 23 and a second cord end 24. The first cord end 23 is internallymounted to the first tubular portion 27. The second cord end 24 isinternally mounted to the second tubular portion 28. Thus, the tensioncord 12 allows the second tubular portion 28 to be dislodged from thefirst tubular portion 27 while preventing the second tubular portion 28from being disconnected from the first tubular portion 27.

In accordance to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, thepresent invention comprises a pair of handgrips 7. The pair of handgrips7 assists the user in maintaining the user's grasp on the handlebar 4during implementation of the present invention. The pair of handgrips 7is fixed to the handlebar 4. The pair of handgrips 7 is positionedopposite to each other along the handlebar 4, such the user comfortablegrasps the handlebar 4 for implementation of the present invention.

Further in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the present invention comprises a pair of foot pedals 8, asdetailed in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4. The pair of foot pedals 8 assists inpreventing the user's feet from being dislodged from the foot-supportingbar 5 during implementation of the present invention. The pair of footpedals 8 is adjacently connected to the foot-supporting bar 5. The pairof foot pedals 8 is positioned opposite to each other along thefoot-supporting bar 5, such that the user's feet engage the pair of footpedals 8 comfortably during implementation. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the pair of foot pedals 8 is rotatably connected tothe foot-supporting bar 5 such that the user's feet are able to pivot asthe foot-supporting bar 5 raises and lowers during implementation.

Still further in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the stationary base 1 comprises a first base member 17, asecond base member 18, and a mounting bracket 19, as exemplified in FIG.2. The first base member 17 and the second base member 18 providestructural support for the present invention. The mounting bracket 19supports the tilting arm 2. In accordance to FIG. 3, the first basemember 17 is perpendicularly connected to the second base member 18. Thesecond base member 18 is terminally positioned to the first base member17, such that the first base member 17 and the second base member 18form a stable base for the present invention. The mounting bracket 19 iscentrally connected along the first base member 17. The tilting arm 2 ispivotably connected to the mounting bracket 19, such that the mountingrod 20 is able to translate towards or away from the stationary base 1in order to allow the user to perform sitting crunches. The tilting arm2 is positioned coplanar to the first base member 17 such that thetilting arm 2 is positioned above the first base member 17. The tiltingarm 2 is connected to the mounting bracket 19 between thefoot-supporting bar 5 and the mounting bracket 19, such that themounting bracket 19 is a fulcrum for the tilting arm 2. In oneembodiment of the mounting bracket 19, the mounting bracket 19 ispermanently connected to the first base member 17, as shown in FIG. 3and FIG. 5. The mounting bracket 19 is welded onto the first base member17 in order to retain the connection between the mounting bracket 19 andthe first base member 17.

In accordance to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, another embodiment of the mountingbracket 19 is removably connected to the first base member 17. Theremovable connection between the mounting bracket 19 and the first basemember 17 allows for the stationary base 1 to be disassembled and storedmore conveniently. The configuration also allows the stationary base 1to be modular such that the mounting bracket 19 is able to be replacedif the mounting bracket 19 were to fracture or otherwise inoperable. Themounting bracket 19 comprises a first bracket member, a second bracketmember. The first bracket member engages the second bracket member aboutthe first base member 17. The tilting arm 2 being positioned between thefirst bracket member and the second bracket member such that the tiltingarm 2 is able to pivot about the pivotable connection between thetilting arm 2 and the mounting bracket 19.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the present inventioncomprises an elastic resistance mechanism 9, in accordance to FIG. 2,FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 to FIG. 9. The elastic resistance mechanism 9provides tension between the stationary base 1 and the foot-supportingbar 5. The elastic resistance mechanism 9 is mounted to the stationarybase 1. The elastic resistance mechanism 9 is selectively tethered tothe foot-supporting bar 5. In a more specific embodiment of the presentinvention, the elastic resistance mechanism 9 is mounted onto the firstbase member 17, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8. As an example ofthis embodiment, the elastic resistance mechanism 9 is an elastic cordand a hook. The hook is adjacently connected to the first base member 17opposite to the mounting bracket 19. The elastic cord is selectivelytethered between the hook and the foot-supporting bar 5, such that theuser is able to add or remove the resistance in accordance to theirpreference. In some embodiments, the elastic resistance mechanism 9comprises a pulley. The pulley is mounted onto the second base member18. The pulley rotatably engages the elastic cord in order to reducefriction and to redirect the direction of force along the elastic cord.As the foot-supporting bar 5 is forced away from the stationary base 1as the user forces weight onto the mounting rod 20, the elastic cordresists the force from the user's weight in order to engage the user'score abdominal muscles to a greater extent than the user's weight alone.

In another specific embodiment of the elastic resistance mechanism 9,the elastic resistance mechanism 9 is an elastic ring, as shown in FIG.1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 9. The elastic resistance mechanism 9 is mountedacross the second base member 18, such that the elastic ring is orientedparallel to the foot-supporting bar 5. A hook is centrally mounted ontothe foot-supporting bar 5 and the hook is oriented towards thestationary base 1. The elastic ring is selectively engaged with the hooksuch that the user is able to add or subtract resistance in accordanceto their preference by tethering the elastic ring to the hook orremoving the elastic ring from the hook.

As an additional means of providing resistance to the user, oneembodiment of the present invention allows the user to adjust thefulcrum point of the mounting bracket 19 onto the tilting arm 2. Thepresent invention, therefore, comprises a pivoting pin 11, the mountingbracket 19 comprises a support aperture 25, and the tilting arm 2comprises a plurality of moment-adjusting apertures 30, as shown in FIG.3 and FIG. 5. The plurality of moment-adjusting apertures 30 allows theuser to discretely adjust the fulcrum point along the tilting arm 2,such that the amount of force on the mounting rod 20 to raise thefoot-supporting bar 5 is increased or decreased in accordance to theuser's preference.

The plurality of moment-adjusting apertures 30 laterally traverses intothrough the tilting arm 2. The plurality of moment adjusting apertures30 is centrally positioned along the tilting arm 2. The plurality ofmoment-adjusting apertures 30 is positioned perpendicularly to themounting rod 20. The plurality of moment-adjusting apertures 30 isoffset from each other. A selected aperture of the plurality ofmoment-adjusting apertures 30 is concentrically positioned to thesupport aperture 25. The pivoting pin 11 engages the selected apertureand the support aperture 25 in order to support tilting arm 2 and allowthe tilting arm 2 to pivot on the mounting bracket 19.

Further in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the present invention comprises a locking pin 10, as shown inFIG. 6, in order to secure the adjustable tube 21 onto the mounting rod20. The mounting rod 20 comprises a height-fixing aperture 29 and theadjustable tube 21 comprises a plurality of mounting apertures 26. Thelocking pin 10 secures the adjustable tube 21 onto the mounting rod 20through an aperture of the plurality of mounting apertures 26 and theheight-fixing aperture 29. The plurality of mounting apertures 26laterally traverses through the adjustable tube 21. The plurality ofmounting apertures 26 is positioned opposite to the handlebar 4 alongthe adjustable tube 21, and the plurality of mounting apertures 26 isoffset from each other in order for the user to position the adjustabletube 21 at discrete heights. The height-fixing aperture 29 laterallytraverses through the mounting rod 20. The height-fixing aperture 29 ispositioned opposite to the tilting arm 2 along the mounting rod 20 inorder to effectively engage the plurality of mounting apertures 26. Theheight-fixing aperture 29 is concentrically positioned to a selectedaperture of the plurality of mounting apertures 26. The locking pin 10engages the selected aperture and the height-fixing aperture 29 in orderto secure the adjustable tube 21 at a discrete height for the user tocomfortably implement the present invention.

In accordance to one embodiment of the present invention, the presentinvention comprises a magnetic sensor 13, a permanent magnet 14, and acomputing device 15, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 11. The magnetic sensor13, the permanent magnet 14, and the computing device 15 allow the userto keep track of repetitions and time performing the exercise. Inaccordance to FIG. 8, the permanent magnet 14 is adjacently connected tothe tilting arm 2. The permanent magnet 14 is positioned between thefoot supporting bar 5 and the mounting bracket 19. The magnetic sensor13 is mounted onto the stationary base 1. The magnetic sensor 13 iselectronically connected to the computing device 15, as shown in FIG.10. This configuration allows a magnetic field exerted by the permanentmagnet 14 to be assessed by the magnetic sensor 13. The magnetic sensor13, the permanent magnet 14, and the computing device 15 are in arepetition detection state when the permanent magnet 14 is positionedadjacent to the magnetic sensor 13 and the permanent magnet 14 ismagnetically engaged with the magnetic sensor 13. When the magneticsensor 13 and the permanent magnet 14 enters the repetition statedetection state, the magnetic sensor 13 transmits an output to thecomputing device 15 to increment a repetition counter.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the present inventioncomprises an output display 16, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. Theoutput display 16 is electronically connected to the computing device 15in order to display the repetition counter value or the elapsed exercisetime to the user, as detailed in FIG. 11. In accordance to FIG. 10, theoutput display 16 is centrally connected to the handlebar 4 such thatthe user is able to easily view the number of repetitions for theexercise they have completed or the elapsed exercise time on the outputdisplay 16.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. An abdominal strengthening apparatus comprises: astationary base; a tilting arm; a supporting member; a handlebar; afoot-supporting bar; the supporting member comprises a mounting rod andan adjustable tube; the tilting arm being pivotably connected to thestationary base; the mounting rod being pivotably connected to thetilting arm; the adjustable tube being telescopically engaged with themounting rod; the adjustable tube being positioned opposite to thetilting arm, along the mounting rod; the handlebar being adjacentlyconnected to the adjustable tube; the handlebar being positionedopposite to the tilting arm, along the adjustable tube; thefoot-supporting bar being perpendicularly and adjacently connected tothe tilting arm; and the mounting rod and the foot-supporting bar beingpositioned opposite to each other along the tilting arm.
 2. Theabdominal strengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, comprises: arotation mechanism; the rotation mechanism being mechanically integratedalong the adjustable tube; the rotation mechanism being positionedbetween the mounting rod and the handlebar; and a rotation axis of therotation mechanism being collinear to the mounting rod.
 3. The abdominalstrengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, comprises: a rotationmechanism; the mounting rod being pivotably connected to the tilting armthrough the rotation mechanism; the rotation mechanism being positionedopposite to the adjustable tube, along the mounting rod; and a rotationaxis of the rotation mechanism being collinear to the mounting rod. 4.The abdominal strengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, comprises:the adjustable tube comprises a first tubular portion and a secondtubular portion; the first tubular portion telescopically engaging themounting rod; and the second tubular portion being connected to thehandlebar.
 5. The abdominal strengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim4, comprises: the first tubular portion being hingedly and adjacentlyconnected to the second tubular portion.
 6. The abdominal strengtheningapparatus, as claimed in claim 4, comprises: a tension cord; the tensioncord comprises a first cord end and a second cord end; the first cordend being internally mounted to the first tubular portion; and thesecond cord end being internally mounted to the second tubular portion.7. The abdominal strengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 1,comprises: a pair of handgrips; the pair of handgrips being fixed to thehandlebar; and the pair of handgrips being positioned opposite to eachother along the handlebar.
 8. The abdominal strengthening apparatus, asclaimed in claim 1, comprises: a pair of foot pedals; the pair of footpedals being adjacently connected to the foot-supporting bar; and thepair of foot pedals being positioned opposite to each other along thefoot-supporting bar.
 9. The abdominal strengthening apparatus, asclaimed in claim 8, comprises: the pair of foot pedals being rotatablyconnected to the foot-supporting bar.
 10. The abdominal strengtheningapparatus, as claimed in claim 1, comprises: the stationary basecomprises a first base member, a second base member, and a mountingbracket; the first base member being perpendicularly connected to thesecond base member; the second base member being terminally positionedto the first base member; the mounting bracket being centrally connectedalong the first base member; the tilting arm being pivotably connectedto the mounting bracket; and the tilting arm being positioned coplanarto the first base member.
 11. The abdominal strengthening apparatus, asclaimed in claim 10, wherein the mounting bracket is permanentlyconnected to the first base member.
 12. The abdominal strengtheningapparatus, as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mounting bracket isremovably connected to the first base member.
 13. The abdominalstrengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, comprises: an elasticresistance mechanism; the elastic resistance mechanism being mounted tothe stationary base; and the elastic resistance mechanism beingselectively tethered to the foot-supporting bar.
 14. The abdominalstrengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 13, comprises: thestationary base comprises a first base member; and the elasticresistance mechanism being mounted onto the first base member.
 15. Theabdominal strengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 13, comprises:the stationary base comprises a second base member; and the elasticresistance mechanism being mounted across the second base member. 16.The abdominal strengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, comprises:a locking pin; the mounting rod comprises a height-fixing aperture; theadjustable tube comprises a plurality of mounting apertures; theplurality of mounting apertures laterally traversing through theadjustable tube; the plurality of mounting apertures being positionedopposite to the handlebar along the adjustable tube; the plurality ofmounting apertures being offset from each other; the height-fixingaperture laterally traversing through the mounting rod; theheight-fixing aperture being positioned opposite to the tilting armalong the mounting rod; the height-fixing aperture being concentricallypositioned to a selected aperture of the plurality of mountingapertures; and the locking pin engaging the selected aperture and theheight-fixing aperture.
 17. The abdominal strengthening apparatus, asclaimed in claim 1, comprises: a pivoting pin; the stationary basecomprises a mounting bracket; the mounting bracket comprises a supportaperture; the tilting arm comprises a plurality of moment-adjustingapertures; the plurality of moment-adjusting apertures laterallytraversing through the tilting arm; the plurality of moment-adjustingapertures being centrally positioned along the tilting arm; theplurality of moment-adjusting apertures being positioned perpendicularlyto the mounting rod; the plurality of moment-adjusting apertures beingoffset from each other; a selected aperture of the plurality ofmoment-adjusting apertures being concentrically positioned to thesupport aperture; and the pivoting pin engaging the selected apertureand the support aperture.
 18. The abdominal strengthening apparatus, asclaimed in claim 1, comprises: a magnetic sensor; a permanent magnet; acomputing device; the permanent magnet being adjacently connected to thetilting arm; the permanent magnet being positioned between thefoot-supporting bar and the mounting bracket; the magnetic sensor beingmounted onto the stationary base; and the magnetic sensor beingelectronically connected to the computing device.
 19. The abdominalstrengthening apparatus, as claimed in claim 18, comprises: wherein themagnetic sensor, the permanent magnet and the computing device are in arepetition detection state; the permanent magnet is positioned adjacentto the magnetic sensor; and the permanent magnet being magneticallyengaged with the magnetic sensor.
 20. The abdominal strengtheningapparatus, as claimed in claim 18, comprises: an output display; theoutput display being electronically connected to the computing device;and the output display being centrally connected to the handlebar.